I Test Seabourn Expedition Cruising To See Why Cruisers Are So Unhappy

Looking at reviews before heading off on Seabourn Venture, one of the new expedition ships from the ultra-luxury Seabourn line, I was concerned when I saw recent reviews calling it disappointing, saying it had unappealing food, the entertainment was abysmal, and the decor felt downscale versus other Seabourn ships. This is what I discovered when I went.

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#SeabournCruises #SeabournExpedition #SeabournPursuit
00:00 Start
00:33 The Best Parts
09:40 Tips For Travellers Patreon
11:17 The "Same As Others" Parts
14:50 The Less Good Parts

[apfelstrudel]

I really appreciate that Gary Bembridge pays for his cruises and gives reviews I can trust because they are uncomped.

[cruiseforever]

Like your other videos, you did an excellent, balanced evaluation. I spent six weeks on Seabourn Venture in the Arctic and loved every minute of it. Like you, I was in a panorama veranda, and thought it was the best cabin on the ship. The food on my trip was excellent and the crew knew who I was. Of course, being on a ship for six weeks does make a difference. As a solo cruiser, the crew went out of their way to keep me involved with all activities. As you can tell, I loved my adventure.

[baysideharpy]

We’re Seabourn veterans and your review is fair and reasonable. It’s a lovely ship but we were disappointed in the comparatively limited food and drink choices and sometimes very sketchy service. We suspect there were a lot of new recruits who needed a lot more guidance and supervision. This was especially obvious in the sometimes chaotic breakfast/lunch in the Colonnade. There’s some very obvious cost cutting now via Carnival HQ.

[RoccoSmith-oiii]

Cruising since the ‘60’s yours is the only opinion I trust

[franktanner]

I really liked the deck plan overlay you added and going deck by deck!

[QuentinStephens]

At over £1000 per night I would expect everything to be included with no upsells.

[craigwalz]

It's a funny coincidence that me and my wife suddenly getting targed Ads for seaborne today and this pops up at the top of my YouTube feed. Also I don't believe in coincidence.

[gibbousmoon]

I dont really understand why people would go on an expedition cruise and expect (or want) big song-and-dance productions or casinos. Horses for courses, I guess.

[Standinthegapever]

Lol, I like your poached egg test—-one of the things I usually order for breakfast at a restaurant if I’ve never eaten there before is eggs Benedict…. In my opinion it’s very hard to mess up eggs Benedict if you’ve stressed: whites set, yolk runny.
If they can’t cook a Benedict they’re probably not good at other things.

[andrewstorm]

I’m not into cruise ships but enjoy your insightful reviews

[mikeinnyc]

I am surprised that you didn't note that lifeboats on the Venture cannot be used as tenders, requiring passengers to use Zodiacs at all locations where the ship is not docked. Zodiacs are generally a lot of fun on an expedition cruise but leave passengers exposed to the whims of the elements in all cases. We sailed on the Venture from Iceland to Greenland in September 2022 and we had to use the Zodiacs even when debarking at Kangerlussuaq to begin our journey home.
I have to admit that I found the food to be pretty good on the Venture, even better than what we had on the Quest in February 2019 but we were on board shortly after the Venture went into service.
All in all we had a good time and it was nice to revisit the ship in your report.

[donhargrave]

Wow! We went with Coral Expeditions and there were 28 passengers in TOTAL on a 120ft catamaran. Cruise director, 2 expert guides and very knowledgeable crew. We had such a good time, the food and entertainment were not a significant partof our trip. After we got off, we could download about 400 pictures taken by our guides. Best trip ever.

[vanstrength]

So many people love to complain on these cruise line specific sites. It is a level of entitlement that is astounding. Thank you, Gary, for a fair review with no biases.

[FilippoFavrettomusic]

Thank you Gary for your good comments! Nice to meet you on board.

[peterfriedrich]

Gary - we are still on the Seabourn Pursuit, when I met you in the Kimberley (not the Seabourn Venture as you say in the start of this video). I agree with a lot you said - great ship. fantastic staff and a wonderful region - but i found the food well below the normal Seabourn standard, the wine was very poor and cheap, which also includes the pay for premium revenue wines, and the expedition team not as good as you make out, with the overall itinerary not very well planned - for example, they kept saying things are dependent on the tides, and yet tide charts are known years in advance. My experience is that I could not recommend them for the price they charge

[twojohn]

Having literally just come back from a Seabourn cruise in no way would I recommend it. We chose them for a special birthday and I'm afraid to say felt completely let down. Embarkation was the worst we have ever experienced from any cruise line, and that was the starter for a cruise of disappointments. The food was average, the staff was fine, but not what you'd expect from "ultra-luxury" and the overall vibe from the ship was cost-cutting. No reason to ever return with all the competition out there. As someone once said "You can only spend it once" After our cruise it won't be with Seabourn ever again.

[abril]

Everything looks so perfect and beautiful !! Hard to believe some people complain about it !!

[davetaylor]

All looks nice. I would prefer a cruise that does things like that. At half my year's income for 10 days. Think I will give it a miss.

[kyleegoodwin]

Love this video. Hope to do an expedition cruise one day … I had better start saving now! 😂

[BoysOfBoca]

Our first choice for Antarctica was Silversea, however, it was cost prohibitive when compared to Seabourn Pursuit. We were able to snag a fantastic deal for Nov 2025. We love the Seabourn crew. Not fans of the food at all. Agree with you there.